Mock Caldecott 2026 discussion

Ahoy! by Sophie Blackall




Wild Places: The Life of Naturalist David Attenborough by Hayley Rocco




Big Bear and Little Bear Go Fishing by Amy Hest, illustrated by Erin E Stead




Pretty Ugly by David Sedaris, illustrated by Falconer Ian



I am pretty excited about these publications. What is your impression of them?

My review of Ahoy! -

It’s playtime on the rug and the child is rigging the ship. Although they want their parent to pay attention, it’s hard at first, but eventually they pull them in, and ridiculous at-sea play ensues, even if the rug needs to be vacuumed. The parent appears to be gender-neutral and the child never calls the parent by any name to indicate their status.

Everyone loves Sophie Blackall because she is amazing. I love her artwork, always, it’s thoughtful, has movement and depth, and there’s always something else to see, even if you’ve read it a million times. But this one just didn’t give me the zing that others have in the past. It’s good, it’s a compassionate, relatable story that would go over well at storytime, but it isn’t my favorite of hers. Still, all of her stories/books are fantastic! I think this one will do well, and it will strike a chord with all parents - being the ones constantly pulled away by technology/communication/chores - and reminding us to be in the moment with all of our sailors.

My review of Pretty Ugly -

Anna Van Ogre is a monster who stomps on all beautiful things and eats nail sandwiches. Much like other parents, when she makes faces (cute ones), her family tells her that her face will stay like that, if she isn’t careful. Well, one day it does and she’s forced to have a “pretty face.” It’s what she decides to do about it is the surprising thing.

Honestly, I know David Sedaris is hilarious and snarky and clever, but this book does not do it for me. The end, which is a visually terrifying result, isn’t fit for most kids. If I were to turn this loose on a kindergarten or even first grade class, they would have nightmares. And that’s not the part about it that bugs me the most. It isn’t that clever. The storyline is just a swapped what we think is beautiful vs. what others think is beautiful trope, and her “funny” decision at the end is kind of a gross-out cop-out of an ending. I know there are a few kids, most of them older, which would see this book and think it’s sooooooo funny, but I just can’t use it. I like weird books, dry sense-of-humor books, off-kilter and even macabre, but this one is just kind of gross and not that original in storyline/theme/dialogue. Sorry, hard pass.

I have read three out of the four titles. Big Bear and Little Bear isn't released until the end of the May, I'm very much looking forward to it!

Pretty Ugly and Wild Places have the best chances of winning a 2025 Caldecott from the books I have read on this list.

Ahoy! by one of the greatest illustrators of our time, Sophie Blackall, is very good. Blackall cannot create a poor, well, anything. This book was done mostly digitally which Blackall hasn't really embraced up until now. It is beautiful. It is creative. I do favor her handmade art. Cutting pieces of this, drawing in that...but many illustrators work exclusively or almost exclusively digitally. I get Sophie wanting to try new things. Since the Caldecott committee did not award Blackall for her magnificent book Farmhouse a couple years ago, I doubt Ahoy! will win this award in 2025.

Pretty Ugly by the humorist, David Sedaris is terrific. Not candy coated like so many picture books that are churned out every year. Like candy, I did devour it. This title is a little Roald Dahl, a little Silverstein, a little of many great, quirky authors. The illustrations! Be still my heart! If only Ian Falconer embraced his gift for picture book illustration. Pretty Ugly shows you Falconer's range and talent. For many years after the success of his Caldecott award winning, Olivia, Falconer moved on to other creative venues that he loved more. Set design, etc. He did make other Olivia books, but Ian was clearly capable of doing so much more. I believe Pretty Ugly was the last book Falconer created before his untimely death. All wonderful messages in Pretty Ugly including self-esteem and acceptance.

Wild Places is extraordinary. My favorite John Rocco illustrated book to date. Written by Hayley Rocco (John's wife), it is about the life of the great naturalist, documentarian etc. John Attenborough. Told clearly and in an entertaining manner, Wild Places begins with David as a boy. David's love for nature and eventually his entire life's work. How the planet has changed and what we can do to protect it. A very beautiful, important book that is Caldecott worthy. I very much hope this title wins an award so it will be readily accessible to future generations.

Pretty Ugly
My thoughts about this book are a little more in line with Rachel's--I was not wowed by it. I did like Falconer's illustrations, with the limited color palette. I actually agreed with the ogres, that the little girl face with her bulging cheeks, bow mouth, and Pippi Longstocking braids was uglier than Anna Van Ogre's normal face. I also was not particularly impressed Anna's solution of turning herself inside out. It was also inconsistent: the dress and shoes should now be inside Anna instead of in their usual placement.
I don't see it as a Caldecott possibility.

Ahoy!
I thought this was a well-done story of the power of a child's imagination, even powerful enough to draw older people into the play. And Blackall was very adept at depicting how ordinary household items become imaginative playtime things. These illustrations seemed to me a little more cartoon-like than previous illustrations by Blackall. I really enjoyed the story and illustrations; but I can't predict if the book will win Caldecott mention.

Big Bear and Little Bear Go Fishing
Our library system recently acquired a copy of this book (finally!)
This story reminds me a little of Not the Piano, Mrs. Medley!. Like Mrs. Medley, the bears keep thinking of various items they need to take with them on their fishing trip, the difference being that Mrs. Medley was headed to the beach. I found the story very simple and endearing, and I thought that Steads watercolor and pencil paintings were very appealing. It's a lovely book, but I'm not sure it's quite as good as A Sick Day for Amos McGee.

This collection of picture books was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I love the late Falconer's Olivia series (we used to purchase the latest book each year for my daughter, a lover of pigs, when she was young), but Pretty Ugly's illustrations fell short of the humorous element I had come to love from his art, and I agree with others that the message also fell flat for me. I enjoyed Ahoy! for its imagination and plethora of nautical terms and Wild Places for its colorful, detailed view of the inspiring David Attenborough's far-reaching vision and appreciation for the world as well as his frustrated yet hopeful message about the impact of the human species on Earth's flora and fauna. (I highly recommend his autobiographical A Life on Our Planet.) For me, the standout book was Hest's simple story of a father and son's outing, complemented so perfectly by Stead's gentle illustrations. I'm not sure if Big Bear and Little Bear Go Fishing rises to Caldecott level, but it resonated with me.